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The report indicates that men who engage in risky behavior are more likely to use and abuse drugs, including Viagra. Some corporate lawyer at Pfizer probably suggested that the company add the disclaimer to their commercials so that when people hear "Viagra" and "HIV" mentioned together, it will because of this pointless detail and not because of a government study published by the Centers for Disease Control.

My second guess is that one of those same laywers heard a rumor about a guy who might have once said in an alchohol-fueled pass at another closet case that they didn't need to play safely cause he had taken Viagra. So, the disclaimer was added to pre-emptively cover the company's behind from the very remote possibility that this guy might sero-convert and then bring suit against Pfizer. This is the same "thinking" that causes TV dinners to carry the warning, "After removing from oven, contents may be hot."

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Some days, it just comes down to whether you will laugh or cry. When possible, I chose to laugh.

Why not say that VIAGRA doesn't protect against genital Herpes? Why not say VIAGRA doesn't protect against Chlamydia? Why not have 6 point font stating all possible STDs you can get at the end of the ad, including HIV? Why is HIV at the front of the ad?

Yes I'm still angry, because this is what we have to live with, and every day I see people who are more scared about getting HIV than getting Syphilis because they see those ads and it makes absolutely no sense.

Why not say that VIAGRA doesn't protect against genital Herpes? Why not say VIAGRA doesn't protect against Chlamydia? Why not have 6 point font stating all possible STDs you can get at the end of the ad, including HIV? Why is HIV at the front of the ad?

Presumably, because the study was about HIV transmission.

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Yes I'm still angry, because this is what we have to live with, and every day I see people who are more scared about getting HIV than getting Syphilis because they see those ads and it makes absolutely no sense.

I'm not exactly a happy camper over this either: it is stupid and discriminatory. But getting angry won't do me any good.

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Some days, it just comes down to whether you will laugh or cry. When possible, I chose to laugh.

It's not just Viagra, it's also on several different commercials for certain birth control pills, etc. I never paid the special mentions any attention until after being diagnosed. I hear you - why single it out as any worse than the others? I guess the stigma is still that it's "the big one" and it's somehow different.

It's a result of the older generation being able to become sexually active again because of Viagra, going through seroconversion in your seventies is now a reality for those who thought they were regulated to reruns of the Golden Girls. How special...... In my opinion HIV still elicits more fear than any of the other STD's out there, hence why it is mentioned and the others are not. To bad that same fear still doesn't equate to safer sex practices..... I know it didn't for me.

I just hate the commercials period, it always shows some old couple riding off into the sunset on their bikes. Like what the hell?!?!? Are they implying that they are going to go fuck behind some bushes or something? Also why aren't they wearing helmets? Plus old folks staying out passed sunset is highly dangerous and makes them more susceptible to being robbed.... Viagra never talks about that in their commercials... Oh yeah, let's just throw HIV out there in our ad campaign never mind the fact the old guy has a heart attack from taking that lil blue pill before trying to plow his wife who no longer gets wet and has to use a whole bottle of lube so poppa can get it in... Nope never mentions any of that stuff do they?

thankfully, you cannot advertise for prescription medicines in Aus, and many other places. i couldn't stand being bombarded by pointless advertising that does nothing except raise the price of the drug. It just seems pointless.

It's a result of the older generation being able to become sexually active again because of Viagra, going through seroconversion in your seventies is now a reality for those who thought they were regulated to reruns of the Golden Girls. How special...... In my opinion HIV still elicits more fear than any of the other STD's out there, hence why it is mentioned and the others are not. To bad that same fear still doesn't equate to safer sex practices..... I know it didn't for me.

I just hate the commercials period, it always shows some old couple riding off into the sunset on their bikes. Like what the hell?!?!? Are they implying that they are going to go fuck behind some bushes or something? Also why aren't they wearing helmets? Plus old folks staying out passed sunset is highly dangerous and makes them more susceptible to being robbed.... Viagra never talks about that in their commercials... Oh yeah, let's just throw HIV out there in our ad campaign never mind the fact the old guy has a heart attack from taking that lil blue pill before trying to plow his wife who no longer gets wet and has to use a whole bottle of lube so poppa can get it in... Nope never mentions any of that stuff do they?

Someone tell me about the tub thing. Anyone figure that one out?I mean, if you're pushing Viagra then shouldn't they both be in the same tub with water being splashed about wildly.Skeebo, your input requested.

Someone tell me about the tub thing. Anyone figure that one out?I mean, if you're pushing Viagra then shouldn't they both be in the same tub with water being splashed about wildly.Skeebo, your input requested.

Mike

Well in that regard the commercial is very real, everyone knows men only take showers and baths with their women for the first two weeks of a new relationship. After 30 years of marriage, hell they're both sleeping in twin size beds in separate rooms. Does Viagra pick up the tab for the new queen size mattress they will need for their new found sexual prowess? Nope never mentions nothing about that cuz their looking for bushes to screw behind. Plus if they have both of them in the bathtub the commercial must use a disclaimer of risks of broken hips and the dangers of getting out of a bath tub without the help of a loved one.....

Shouldn't alcoholic beverages have a label warning that they don't prevent HIV or pregnancies? After all, it doesn't take a big buck study to know that many of us are here (both initially conceived and HIV+) from alcohol use! Hell, they should be labeled that consuming too much can lead to a loss of inhibitions that result in behavior that end up with arrests, car accidents, STD (including HIV) infection, and pregnancy!

Yes I'm still angry, because this is what we have to live with, and every day I see people who are more scared about getting HIV than getting Syphilis because they see those ads and it makes absolutely no sense.

Probably because HIV is a bit more serious than the other STD's, wouldn't you say? If you had to choose one, and only one, STD, I KNOW it wouldn't be HIV. HIV surely kills more people (even with current treatments), costs more to treat, and causes more 'side effect' illnesses than other STD's.

thankfully, you cannot advertise for prescription medicines in Aus, and many other places. i couldn't stand being bombarded by pointless advertising that does nothing except raise the price of the drug. It just seems pointless.

It's not totally pointless. If you were a regular old HIV- guy that didn't see a Dr. regularly and had trouble getting it up, would you even know that there was a possible option for treating your ED? If you did know about Viagra, for example, and had an Rx, would you know that other options, such as Cialis, had been developed unless your Dr. mentioned it or you specifically researched it regularly? Ads are somewhat regulated, or are supposed to be, in terms of claims and disclaimers (hence this thread) and side effect information. I'm not totally for drug ads, but there is some use for them. Honestly, I don't see myself as being bombarded by prescription drug ads. I see more of the ones for 'natural male enhancement' that aren't prescription. I really don't watch ads all that much, thanks to having a DVR for TV and being able to flip a page containing an ad in a magazine.

I just hate the commercials period, it always shows some old couple riding off into the sunset on their bikes. Like what the hell?!?!? Are they implying that they are going to go fuck behind some bushes or something? Also why aren't they wearing helmets? Plus old folks staying out passed sunset is highly dangerous and makes them more susceptible to being robbed.... Viagra never talks about that in their commercials... Oh yeah, let's just throw HIV out there in our ad campaign never mind the fact the old guy has a heart attack from taking that lil blue pill before trying to plow his wife who no longer gets wet and has to use a whole bottle of lube so poppa can get it in... Nope never mentions any of that stuff do they?

Wait....you're upset that HIV is brought up in an advertisement on TV? In the Regan era HIV activisits were ANGRY because the words "HIV" or "AIDS" were never used by the President....or his advisors I suppose...now we are angy for USING the word HIV. ?Its a good thing.Senior citizens need to be aware that they are not immune from STD's.

I agree with Bear60... do you get upset with birth control pills, spermicides, IUD, Valtrex, etc... listing and stating (these drugs do not protect one from getting HIV etc...) eventhough I know several people who were meth-heads... who used viagra along with their drug of choice who say their hiv- after all their partying... right?

I personally do not want people to forget about HIV and push it aside as if it does not make a difference or a big deal... and become complacent!

Keep in mind that HIV is the most expensive STD to treat (I assume) and pharmaceutical companies don't want to end up paying for some moron who thinks "Viagra allowed me to have sex and when I had sex I got HIV and the Viagra people never warned me that sex could lead to HIV therefore, dammit, someone has to pay!"

I agree with Bear60... do you get upset with birth control pills, spermicides, IUD, Valtrex, etc... listing and stating (these drugs do not protect one from getting HIV etc...) eventhough I know several people who were meth-heads... who used viagra along with their drug of choice who say their hiv- after all their partying... right?

I personally do not want people to forget about HIV and push it aside as if it does not make a difference or a big deal... and become complacent!

Yes I do get upset with those too.

I understand the point of those who say "better remind the people that this is a sex related pill and they should protect themselves", but I do not agree with the fact that they single out HIV. They say "STD and HIV". What pisses me off is that in 2009 we still have to fight against the HIV stigma and sentences like this do not help.

I think what would be way more powerful is if they were stating all the most common STDs, like they state all the possible side effects in a drug. Now THAT would get people thinking!

"This drug does not protect against chlamydia, syphilis, warts, HIV, Gonorrhea, Genital Herpes, Hepatitis and other sexually transmitted diseases". This would put HIV at the same risk level. I couldn't care less if HIV costs more to treat, that's not the point if this is about prevention. If someone gets gonorrhea because they didn't put a condom on then they are putting themselves at the same level of risk of getting HIV.

Milker, I can see where you are coming from... But the world out there is ignorant, and (like someone stated above) HIV is still the bigscarymonster that nobody wants to catch. Everyone believes that the clap will go away with some pill, that crabs are nasty but not a major worry, or that herpes is not going to kill them. Ask the average head to tell you about chlamydia and they may not even have a clue as to what is or what it can cause.

There will still be some fool out there who is going to be so excited about their re-discovered ability to have an erection or to make it "last longer" (especially this sub-group --I know of some heads who treat viagra as some complement to their recreational drugs) that they will forget to slip on a condom. The same goes for the birth control pills with similar disclosures: some silly bint (and/or her sexual partner/boyfriend) somewhere will believe it's ok do to do it w/o protection cause she's not getting pregnant.

Perhaps it is better that they highlight HIV; to put it in the same context as one of the "minor" STDs would possibly trivialise it, and that's not something that we would want (it would actually perpetuate the already pervasive lack of awareness that plagues our world).

M.

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"I have tried hard--but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person. I can hardly be said to have an independent existence. I was just a screw or a cog in the great machine I called life, and when I dropped out of it I found I was of no use anywhere else."

The same goes for the birth control pills with similar disclosures: some silly bint (and/or her sexual partner/boyfriend) somewhere will believe it's ok do to do it w/o protection cause she's not getting pregnant.

Unfortunately, it's not necessarily a case of someone being a "silly bint". You might be surprised at the amount of people who have never had access to comprehensive sex education where STIs are discussed in detail. My daughter has mentioned to me in the past that several of her girlfriends thought they didn't have to worry about STIs because they were on the Pill - and these young women are not amongst those I would consider to be "silly bints". They were just uneducated where STIs are concerned.

And don't even bring up the "they have access to the information on the internet" thing. Not everyone has access to the internet!

The packages of the Pill where I've seen the hiv disclaimer always included the words "or other sexually transmitted infections". I think this is fair enough - it singles out hiv while at the same time including the other less serious STIs. While these disclaimers might seem silly to you and me, not everyone is as sexually educated as we are. As we've had to become.

I think it makes sense to have these disclaimers on something like the Pill - after all, it's a "prevention" device. I can see where this may lead someone who isn't that medically/scientifically minded to assume it prevents other things as well.

Now where Viagra is concerned, I don't see what the fuss is about - Milker, you said yourself it said "VIAGRA does not protect against diseases including HIV". It's not quite as explicit as the Pill disclaimer, but it amounts to the same thing. It's singling out hiv while at the same time including the other STIs. It's just a reminder to people that they need to take steps to protect themselves. What's wrong with that? Perhaps when people see "HIV", it might get their attention and make them think about it. REALLY think about it.

As other posters have said, we complain when hiv isn't spoken about and we complain when it is. We can't have it both ways.

Anything that raises awareness is a good thing. And perhaps the old saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity" applies here too.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

What they fail to mention on these ads is that the 'more mature' users (like us who are on Medicare Part D) are unable to get e.d. medications through Medicare. I suppose they feel that old folks shouldn't have sex....they will pay for one of those silly penis pumps though.....

It doesn't bother me that they specifically mention AIDS, but Milker, I do understand your point about stigma....but you are so young and studly, I KNOW you don't even need to THINK about Viagra or any such drug, so don't get too upset about it

hugs,

Alan

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"Remember my sentimental friend that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." - The Wizard of Oz

It seems to me that the prominent mention of HIV in the Viagra ads is the direct result of the lawsuits and bird-dogging of Pfizer by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. I agree with the foundation that Pfizer's marketing of Viagra has been extremely irresponsible. It is also a known fact that Viagra has become a "necessary" recreational drug for methamphetamine users, who experience a heightened sex drive along with erectile dysfunction and have a high rate of HIV.

Very interesting links, Edfu. Obviously the AIDS Healthcare Foundation didn't consider the reaction people like Milker might have when they insisted that HIV be specifically mentioned in their advertising.

Maybe Pfizer should have a disclaimer that say "Please don't acquire our medication illegally for a medically condition you don't actually have so you can use it in conjunction with other illegal drugs to have have hour of condom-free orgies in which you might contract or transmit syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, lice, hepatitis, HIV or H1N1."

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

It's the same thing as having to put labels on ladders warning people not to put them in slippery horse doodie. Someone stupid got the idea that a power boner protects you from all kinds of nasties and probably sued someone else. We get to reap the benefits. It makes you feel all hopeful for the human race and stuff.

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Floating through the void in the caress of two giant pink lobsters named Esmerelda and Keith.

That's just... wow. The people who would actually use something like that must have a unique blend of information and stupidity. What would you call it, "informed ignorance?"

See, this is the crux of my knee-jerk reaction in a different thread the other day. Admittedly I was tired and had a headache and got myself a bit befuddled, but it's these party packs that I had in the back of my mind. Like I said in this thread a few posts ago, what's going to happen when the guy who tops them has resistance to Tenofovir and/or Truvada? (If you scroll down in that other thread, you'll see I apologised for my befuddled mistake. Just sayin' )

I hate condoms as much as the next person, but unfortunately, they're the simplest, most effective way to prevent hiv infection. I hope they're finally making some progress with micobicides. In an ideal world, they could combine a microbicide with a topical Viagra and maybe everyone would be happy.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Does anyone else think that the Viagra commercial that says "Viagra does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases "Including HIV" adds to peoples perception that HIV is a whole lot worse than any of the sexually transmitted diseases they don't name? It seems to me that these types of ads are just making the stigma worse.

Thanks for the link. I've missed a lot of threads being in & out of the hospital & having 5 surgeries so far this year. Doubt I'll ever get caught up. Every time I see a commercial like that I just feel like that those of us who have HIV are being singled out as the " worst of the worse". In response to the guy that says it is only the young that don't need Viagra that feel this way; If it weren't for Cialis, Pentoxifilli & trimix I probably wouldn't ever want to see another day. Because of surgical complications from a hernia repair, at age 25 I needed every mechanical and pharmacological aide available to man just to get close to having relations. Impotency is not just an "old folks' dilemma. Sometimes the roulette wheel of life drops a bomb that just plain sucks. It is good that HIV is being mentioned so that the public is aware it even exists. It shouldn't be singled out as if it is severe enough to provoke fear.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Hmmmm, I can see where it would upset Milker. Personally, it doesn't phase me anymore. I use to turn the station whenever one of those commercials came on or anything that mentioned HIV. But it is sad to know that people actually think the pill protects against STD's and HIV. It also tells me that there is a real lack of communication between parent and child.

Still can't help but think stigma can also be a mental state/ health issue. I just saw a Cialis ad that also singles out HIV. Next the cereal boxes will say that brand X does not protect against HIV. I just read a Trojan condom box a few minutes ago and it lists protection against several named STD's and AIDS, ( not the HIV virus that causes AIDS) but that protection is not guaranteed.

Anyone see the latest commercial? Some guy walking down the street talking to his reflection in a store window about having "the conversation" with the doc about his ED. The guy should be seeing a psychologist instead, but his reflection never tells him that though.

It is good that HIV is being mentioned so that the public is aware it even exists. It shouldn't be singled out as if it is severe enough to provoke fear.

I'm a bit surprised that an HIV+ individual wouldn't think that HIV was severe enough to cause fear! People should be afraid of HIV, though not of HIV+ individuals. Many times people don't think of HIV in the same way as other STD's due to the fact that it's transmitted in ways other than through sex. Is it more 'severe' than gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, or herpes? I certainly think so. I think it definitely deserves it's 'honorable mention' apart from the general STD's.

As for stigma, that's something that we as individuals need to deal with on a personal level. Yeah, I still get my feathers ruffled a bit when I see a 'personal' ad saying that a guy's interested in HIV- guys only, but I'm getting better about not being bothered by them as time goes on. When I come across those, I wonder if the guy really knows anything about HIV, is going to still use condoms since he thinks he's being safe and not lied to by potential hook-ups, and is going to end up infected himself. I'm not generally sexually attracted overly big (fat) guys, really young guys, etc. Am I bad for that? What if my 'attraction' was based on my fear of a life changing disease? Would it then be OK? How about those guys who have something like 'Tested negative on 08-19-09'? To me, that's moderately offensive as well, as if they're saying that they're better or something. It makes me think of a 'sell by' date on a gallon of milk, however. To me, the best thing we can do to fight stigma is to educate. Although education is not the intent of HIV's mention in those ads (it's a CYA for Viagra, etc), it does bring HIV back to mainstream TV and print, which is good.

I still get my feathers ruffled a bit when I see a 'personal' ad saying that a guy's interested in HIV- guys only... // ...When I come across those, I wonder if the guy really knows anything about HIV, is going to still use condoms since he thinks he's being safe and not lied to by potential hook-ups, and is going to end up infected himself.

I think the lying thing comes into it only now and then. What's likely to be MUCH more common is that some people only THINK or ASSUME they're hiv negative. It's astounding how many sexually active people don't test regularly.

I don't think you're "bad" for having the sexual preferences you do. The difference, however, is that it's obvious when someone is "big", and that person will surely know they're "big", but it's not obvious when someone is hiv positive, it's not even obvious to themselves, especially when that person hasn't tested.

Even the ones who advertise that they tested negative on such-and-such a date don't accurately know their current status if they've been barebacking in the meantime with people they assume to be negative. A negative test result in this case only reflects their status six to twelve weeks prior to the test and if they've been at risk since then (ie barebacking), then the result is meaningless.

We've had this discussion here before - serosorting only works for pozzies.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

I think the lying thing comes into it only now and then. What's likely to be MUCH more common is that some people only THINK or ASSUME they're hiv negative. It's astounding how many sexually active people don't test regularly.

I don't think you're "bad" for having the sexual preferences you do. The difference, however, is that it's obvious when someone is "big", and that person will surely know they're "big", but it's not obvious when someone is hiv positive, it's not even obvious to themselves, especially when that person hasn't tested.

Even the ones who advertise that they tested negative on such-and-such a date don't accurately know their current status if they've been barebacking in the meantime with people they assume to be negative. A negative test result in this case only reflects their status six to twelve weeks prior to the test and if they've been at risk since then (ie barebacking), then the result is meaningless.

We've had this discussion here before - serosorting only works for pozzies.

Ann

Ann,

Spend some time on Manhunt, for example, and you'll find plenty of guys that state publicly that they are negative when they are, in fact, positive. I don't know that people necessarily lie about it face-to-face so much, but they sure do online. I definitely forgot to mention those who don't know their status and aren't lying but are just incorrect. I'm sure those who are positive and don't know it are the biggest threat to one remaining negative.

LOL thanks, but no thanks! I'll take your word for it. I've never had an interest in on-line dating/hook-up sites, gay, straight or anywhere in-between. Just not my style!

I hope the guys who put neg on their profiles when they're actually poz are more honest in person. And I think you're absolutely correct - those who are positive and don't know it are the biggest threat to one remaining negative.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Not me...I love the part near the end of every drug ad where they show nice images and tell how the antidepressant "may cause feelings of suicide" or the heart drug "may cause heart attacks in some patients", etc.

Not me...I love the part near the end of every drug ad where they show nice images and tell how the antidepressant "may cause feelings of suicide" or the heart drug "may cause heart attacks in some patients", etc.

-megasept

LOL... yep I remember one of the side effects listed for one of the heart drugs was death. Then the lady with the smooth medicated sounding voice said at the end of the commercial ," if you should experience any of these side effects contact your doctor immediately"..... She never makes mention though how one is suppose to do this if they are dead.

What really gets me is in the Viagra commercials it tells you to contact a physician if you experience an erection lasting more than 4 hours... If I get an erection that last for more than 4 hours the doctor is the last person I'm calling!!!